GOVERNMENTAL ACTIVITIES
Meeting with State of Alaska on Transboundary Mining

Participants in the state-tribal meeting on transboundary mining.

On August 5, 2015, Lt. Governor Byron Mallott, along with key cabinet members and senior staff from
the departments of Natural Resources, Fish and Game, and Environmental Conservation, met with
Southeast Alaska tribal representatives in Juneau, Alaska to discuss the large-scale mining development
effort taking place on transboundary rivers in northwest British Columbia which flow directly into our
Southeast Alaska waters.
Tel. 907.586.1432

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The meeting with tribal representatives was historic for many and
established a new precedence for the State of Alaska that
recognizes the sovereignty of Alaska tribes and need for tribal input
on matters that impact the lands, waters, and communities of
Southeast Alaska.
During the meeting, Central Council President Richard Peterson
took the opportunity to express gratitude towards Lt. Governor
President Peterson providing
Mallott and the State of Alaska for ensuring tribes are included in
comments at transboundary mining
ongoing policy discussions related to the transboundary mining. He
meeting
also stressed the need for the state to do more, citing the state’s
DNR report was lacking and expressed the importance of incorporating traditional and ecological
knowledge in addressing transboundary mining.
In an interview held after the meeting, the Lt. Governor reaffirmed his commitment to working with
tribes. To list to our interview with Lt. Governor Mallott, please visit our Media page on Central Council’s
website: www.ccthita.org/government/president/media.
President Peterson Issues Op-Ed on Land into Trust
President Richard Peterson recently wrote an opinion editorial (Op-Ed) to help demystify common
misconceptions on land into trust in Alaska. The Op-Ed entitled, “Governor Walker Must Boot the Boogie
Man” was picked up by several media outlets and received many positive reviews.
In the previous week, President Peterson had met with Governor Bill Walker where he provided key
points on land into trust in Alaska:
•

There is no property tax in most of Alaska; therefore, no economic impact on state or
local government due to loss of tax base. Studies in other states demonstrate positive
economic benefit for local communities due to Fee to Trust acquisitions even where
parcel tax revenues are involved.

•

Most tribal trust acquisitions are for housing, health care, sacred site preservation,
tribal government operations, and non-gaming economic development.

•

Tribal gaming in Alaska does not require tribal trust land acquisitions and would be
permitted under current law even without Fee to Trust acquisitions; therefore, tribal
Fee to Trust would have no significant effect on tribal gaming in Alaska.

•

Tribal Fee to Trust acquisitions will provide a business revenue and tax base for tribes
that will partially offset significant federal and state funding decreases over the last
several years and expected to continue into the foreseeable future.

•

Due to the lack of "Indian Country" or tribal trust lands in Alaska (except for
Metlakatka), Alaska tribes are ineligible for many federally-funded programs and
prevents the extension of federal law enforcement and tribal court protections to
Alaska tribes and Alaska Natives.

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•

The Tribal List Act of 1994 requires that all tribes enjoy the same rights wherever
located. The prohibition of Fee to Trust acquisitions in Alaska is a violation of federal
law.

•

Fee to Trust will not threaten Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) corporation
lands. Fee to Trust acquisitions are only available to owners of fee land or restricted
title lands and can never be involuntary or against the wishes of any entity with an
ownership interest in such lands. This includes lands with ownership split between
surface and sub-surface estates. Such split estate lands have a long history in Oklahoma
and no serious issues have arisen due to Fee to Trust acquisitions.

Governor Walker recently made the decision to appeal a federal district court decision giving Alaska
tribes the ability to request federal trust status for their land. Central Council continues to urge all Alaska
Native tribes, organizations, corporations, and people to sign the petition opposing the State of Alaska's
appeal.
Sign the Petition Now!
News Coverage:
Juneau Empire: My Turn, Governor Walker Must Boot the Boogie Man
Indian Country Today: GOP Blogger is Truth-Challenged on Alaska Natives and Trust Land
Alaska Dispatch News: Tribal Trust Lands are No Threat to Alaska Sovereignty
Juneau Empire: Appeal Erodes Trust in ‘Unity Ticket’

ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES
Central Council Signs 5-Year Agreement with Casey Family Programs
Central Council is pleased to announce that it entered into an
official five-year Child Welfare Initiative with the national
operating foundation Casey Family Programs in July. This
partnership is very critical in moving Central Council closer to
transferring child welfare cases into tribal court.
This partnership will provide Central Council access to technical
assistance in the development of their child welfare and tribal
court infrastructures, as well as training, and peer-to-peer
opportunities on how other tribes operate their child welfare
programs.

President Peterson signing agreement

Headquartered in Seattle, Casey Family Programs is the nation’s largest operating foundation
focused solely on safely reducing the need for foster care and building Communities of Hope for
vulnerable children and families across America. Founded in 1966, the foundation works to
influence long-lasting improvements to the safety and well-being of children, families and the
communities where they live. For more information visit: www.casey.org.

Tel. 907.586.1432

www.ccthita.org

Toll Free 800.344.1432

In April 2015, Central Council was selected as pilot program #2 under the State of Alaska’s Tribal
Title IV-E Maintenance Program. This pilot will give Central Council the opportunity to license its
own tribal foster care homes and most importantly to transfer child welfare cases from state court
to tribal court.
“The next five years will be an exciting time of change and development for our child welfare
programs and Tribal Court with the goal of continuing to pursue ways to provide culturally relevant,
quality services to our tribal children and families,” said President Richard Peterson.
Federal Officials Visit Tribe

On July 23, 2015, Central Council’s management team had the pleasure of hosting a site visit for
federal officials with the United States Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS)
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and White House. Several of Central Council’s
departments receive funding through DHHS to provide a wide range of programs and services. The
site visit with such high level federal officials was a valuable opportunity for Central Council’s
management team to highlight the Tribe’s programs that provide services to our tribal children and
families. Following the visit, several federal officials expressed great appreciation for the warm
welcome, program overviews, and tour of our Tribal Court. The sentiment conveyed by federal
officials was that our Tribe provided a great example of what is possible with creative program
design and dedicated staff to address a wide range of challenges and opportunities.
Federal Officials:
• Joo Yeun Chang, Children’s Bureau Associate Commissioner
• Maria Cancian, ACF Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy
• Nisha Patel, ACF Office of Family Assistance Director
• Paula Bentz, ACF Region 10 Child Welfare Specialist
• Molly Dillon, Policy Assistant for the White House Domestic Policy Council
National Foundation Guest:
• Lynn Biggs, Casey Family Programs Senior Director

Tel. 907.586.1432

www.ccthita.org

Toll Free 800.344.1432

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
Back to School Activities

Central Council recently teamed up with Sealaska,
SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, and TlingitHaida Regional Housing Authority to provide backpacks
and general school supplies to 693 tribal children in our
outlying Southeast Alaska communities. Central Council
worked directly through village tribes to compile a list of
eligible tribal children in need. Volunteer staff from our
partner organizations teamed up with Central Council to
stuff and distribute the backpacks.

A Back to School Fair was also held in Juneau on August 1st under a partnership between the
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and the Juneau Tlingit and Haida Community
Council. A total of 817 backpacks were distributed at the event and to eligible Alaska Native and
American Indian families throughout Southeast Alaska.

Thank you to all our partners for working to ensure our children have a successful start to their school year!
Youth Employment Service Wraps Up
The Youth Employment Services (YES) program wrapped up its summer
program July 31, 2015. The YES program partnered with host-employers in
13 Southeast Alaska communities to provide work experience to 54
participating tribal youth.
The YES program’s goal is to provide tribal youth with the tools, support,
and resources to help them develop career and educational pathways that
lead to self-sufficient lifestyles. Participating tribal youth were exposed to
the job application and interview process, developed jobs
skills, learned reliability and accountability with employers,
and best of all earned a PAYCHECK!
The success of the summer program would not have been
possible without the tremendous support from hostemployers, supervisors who trained and mentored,
community coordinators who offered guidance and support,
and parents/caregivers who created supportive environments
for our participating youth.

Angoon YES Participants

A very special Gunalchéesh, Háwaa to our partners and tribal youth!
Way to go and we hope to see you all next year!”
Note: A full article on the Youth Employment Services program will be included in the July/August
Tribal News newsletter.
Tel. 907.586.1432

www.ccthita.org

Toll Free 800.344.1432

Saxman Road Construction Project Complete
Central Council’s Tribal Transportation department recently
completed its road construction project in Saxman. The
project included paving of Frog Street and construction of an
enclosed bus shelter and sidewalks for pedestrians. Frog
Street connects to Eagle and Killer Whale avenues which now
allows for transit buses to service the senior center and
neighborhood.
A ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony was held on August
24, 2015 to celebrate the completion of the road construction
New Bus Shelter in Saxman
project. President Richard Peterson, Organized Village of
Saxman President Lee Wallace, Tribal Transportation Manager William Ware all provided opening
comments on just how important the road construction project was to the community.
“I am particularly proud of this project for several
reasons," said Transportation Manager Will Ware. "We
completed a good portion of this project almost
entirely with tribal citizens - our truck driver,
equipment operator, and laborers, were our own
people from Saxman or Ketchikan. This project also
now provides the opportunity for the borough to
provide public transit service to our elders in Saxman
right to their front door.”
Ribbon cutting ceremony

Central Council oversees Saxman’s Tribal
Transportation Program (TTP) with Lee Wallace providing local program management. The road
construction project was primarily funded by the Federal Highway Administration's Tribal
Transportation High Priority Project program (HPP) as well as Saxman’s TTP funds.

SAVE THE DATES
Native PTAC Workshops

The Business & Economic Development department in partnership
with the Native Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) will
be hosting a series of business workshops October 27-28, 2015 in
Juneau, Alaska. The training sessions will focus on how to grow your business through government
contracting and marketing to agencies and prime contractors. To register, please
visit www.NativePTAC.org.
For more information, please contact Edie Maass
800.344.1432 ext. 7139 | 907.463.7139 | emaass@ccthita.org.

Tel. 907.586.1432

www.ccthita.org

Toll Free 800.344.1432

Client Service Benefit Fairs
Central Council is pleased to host Client Service Benefit Fairs in Southeast Alaska in August and
September. The fairs will provide information on services available for each community. Coffee and
light refreshments will be provided, and door prize drawings will be held.
Community Visit Schedule: